Low Carb Meatballs

Make these basic, low carb meatballs in a big batch and freeze them. You’ll have meatballs ready any time you want them for your favorite low carb dish. These are seasoned just right, tender, and juicy and they’ll stay delicious in the freezer for up to six months.

You’d think low carb meatballs would be a no brainer — after all they’re mostly meat, right? The thing is that most meatball recipes have breadcrumbs or some other high carb ingredient added to them to keep them light and tender. When you just pack ground meat together you end up with a golf ball.

No one wants to eat a golf ball.

Well, these are not golf balls. They are tender, juicy, and full of flavor plus you can flash freeze them on a baking sheet, put them in freezer containers (I like vacuum sealers for this), and store them in the freezer for up to six months. Anytime you need meatballs for a recipe you ‘ve got them all ready. Just thaw and heat.

Brilliant.

I’ll tell ya a secret, too. I use these all the time for my family not just for my low carb needs. They really are that good. I have a Tex-Mex recipe coming up later in the week that calls for these meatballs so go ahead and make a batch because I guarantee you’ll want to try that recipe.

Tips for Perfect Meatballs

Use a fattier ground beef. The fat helps them stay moist and tender.

Use a combination of ground pork or ground sausage, and ground beef. It adds flavor.

Don’t compress the meatballs when you are forming them. Just gently form them in your palms until they hold together.

Keep your palms flat when you’re forming them

Mix gently with your hands to keep the meat mixture from becoming packed and dense.

Cook a spoonful of the mixture in a frying pan to taste it for seasoning before you begin to form the meatballs. That way you can adjust the mixture and you’ll know how your end product will taste BEFORE you cook it.

Don’t overcook them. Use a meat thermometer and take them out when they hit about 150F. Keep in mind, they’ll cook a little more when you warm them up.

Oil your hands with olive oil. It will keep the meat from sticking and it will help you form the meatballs without packing them.

Use a cookie scoop or kitchen scale to keep the meatballs uniform in size.

No need to thaw to use, just toss them in a simmering sauce or heat in the microwave.

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I love my vacuum sealer. It keeps food fresher longer in both the fridge and the freezer. That means I can make large batches of foods and know that they will be fresh when I want to use them. A kitchen scale is the best way to keep things uniform and to know exactly how much you’re getting. I have this kitchen scale by Etekcity and I love it. This Norpro stainless steel meatballer shapes a small size meatball that’s always uniform.

Marye

Jan 31, 2017

You can use whatever sauce you like.

Belinda

Feb 02, 2017

Yummy!!! I made these tonight and following the recipe got 36 golf ball sized meatballs. I was a bit skeptical with the 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese, but it was not in the least bit overwhelming. Very very good! And I did freeze half for a later meal.

Marye

Shannon

Marye

Aug 17, 2017

There are trace amounts of carbs in eggs, cheese, and dried herbs. When it’s all added together it comes out to roughly 0.5 carbs per meatball.

Karla

Feb 01, 2018

I was looking for a meatball recipe that didn’t use breadcrumbs and that called for ingredients I already had. This was the closest one, but I was missing the ground pork and only had about 3/4 cups parmesan so for those who find themselves in a similar spot, here’s my alteration that yielded us 28 golf-ball-sized meatballs:

Wendy

Marye

Sep 02, 2018

yes that’s why. You have to use the cheap grated stuff.

Q Crawford

Sep 08, 2018

These meatballs were amazing. I fried up half of the batch in olive oil for immediate use in meatball sandwiches (gf bread of course!) and baked the other half to freeze for later use. Delicious as written!

Marye

Sep 12, 2018

So glad you like them!

Erin

Nov 26, 2018

they tasted great but also experienced a cheese/slimy ooze at the bottom of each meatball. I used the cheap parm in the green container. it seemed like 4 eggs was too much when i was mixing but I don’t know what else would have caused this. they didnt completely hold their shape either. Any tips are appreciated…and again they did taste good even without sauce. Thanks

Amanda

E J Buteau

Apr 17, 2019

Absolutely the best meatballs that I have ever cooked. This recipe is a staple for me when I’m paying attention to reducing my carbo intake. Thanks to the inventor and chef that published this great taste adventure. John